Google Cloud Speech-to-Text API (Chirp) + Gemini 2.5 Flash Non-Thinking. Treat it as a searchable index of what was broadcast, not a quotation record.
00:00:00The date of the National Defense Council, as provided for in the Constitution, is already
00:00:03set. The adage "hard in training, easy in battle"
00:00:07would further develop so that if the training
00:00:10is especially tough, then there will be no battle at all, which is our
00:00:13goal.
00:00:16Against a lack of ideas and uniformity, on home soil, one could
00:00:20start with bold thoughts and dreaming.
00:00:24The President's think tank is one such
00:00:26place. Thinking together, debating, and
00:00:30humor bring out the best in people,
00:00:33from academics to schoolchildren.
00:00:36This is how new ideas are born.
00:00:40The President can recognize and support all who work
00:00:43to ensure that families have a place to live and raise
00:00:47children, that the birth of a child does not lead to financial
00:00:50hardship, that even those who want to build a home
00:00:53in the countryside can get a loan. May
00:00:56a child- and family-friendly Estonia be the theme of upcoming
00:01:00and all elections,
00:01:03not by cornering and defending anyone, but by cheerfully
00:01:06showing how very well
00:01:08it can be done.
00:01:11It is possible that a mental health tiger leap is also needed.
00:01:14Yes, of course, more psychologists and
00:01:18psychiatrists are needed,
00:01:21but we should immediately get rid
00:01:24of unnecessary tensions that
00:01:27increasingly break people.
00:01:32Excessive destructive competitiveness, backstabbing, noise,
00:01:36bullying, injustice, loneliness, fear, and worry, hopelessness are not
00:01:40inevitable facts of life.
00:01:43I will do my best so that we dare and know how
00:01:46to free ourselves from as much of them as possible, because
00:01:49why be unhappy and lose when it is possible
00:01:53to be happy and
00:01:54win.
00:01:57The President can make it better heard.
00:02:01Where the shoe pinches, what is expected and hoped for in Võru and Virumaa,
00:02:04Mehikoorma and Häädemeeste, Saare and Hiiumaa, Paide and
00:02:08Põltsamaa, in all places where the local community works
00:02:11hard to ensure that life does not
00:02:14thrives, that tourism and business in general
00:02:18it makes sense to strive for generations.
00:02:20The money needed
00:02:23to maintain our free Estonian state can only be obtained through a strong and adaptable
00:02:27economy. This
00:02:30stop, let entrepreneurs be free, we don't
00:02:34need total comfort that makes people lazy and incompetent, we don't need
00:02:36orders that stifle creativity and entrepreneurship,
00:02:40prohibitions, unnecessary bureaucracy, or an overseer
00:02:43everywhere. The head of state can also remind of this,
00:02:46if necessary,
00:02:48by veto.
00:02:51I will take time to meet people from various walks of life
00:02:55across Estonia. To listen to them, to empathize with them,
00:02:58to try to understand. And then to carry
00:03:02the message forward. Me and my colleagues can be
00:03:05seen in gardens, factories, barns, in brainstorming
00:03:08corners of businesses, in schools, care homes, village squares, hospitals,
00:03:12city streets, and elsewhere where daily life happens, just
00:03:16as it is.
00:03:19I apologize in advance, I'm afraid I
00:03:21won't be able to attend ceremonies as often
00:03:24as I should, please
00:03:25be understanding.
00:03:28I hope to constantly communicate with the members of the Riigikogu, the Prime Minister and
00:03:31ministers, the leaders of constitutional institutions,
00:03:34understanding and respecting their role.
00:03:38Here too, trust matters, maintaining each other's dignity,
00:03:42and working together for the future of Estonia, for the good
00:03:45of all people
00:03:46here.
00:03:50Esteemed listeners,
00:03:53I have said it repeatedly and I will say it again, all
00:03:56our previous heads of state have been in the right place
00:04:00at the right time, making Estonia better and
00:04:03greater. Thank
00:04:05you very much!
00:04:08Thank you, Alar Karis.
00:04:11And I thank Mrs. Sirje
00:04:14separately here.
00:04:20Her work, solely for the benefit of Ukrainian children, deserves the highest
00:04:24recognition.
00:04:27Continuing the work of my predecessors, I feel great respect and
00:04:30responsibility.
00:04:34Dear Estonian people, if we trust each other,
00:04:38value freedom and responsibility, and
00:04:41a clear message instead of mild platitudes, we dare
00:04:44to be good people, trust life,
00:04:47believe in Estonia and keep a hopeful outlook,
00:04:51everything good is possible. Long live
00:04:54Estonia.
00:05:07That was Ülle Madise's speech as President
00:05:11of the Republic of Estonia. The first one, in other words,
00:05:14if one thought is to be taken away, then Estonia is one of the most pleasant places
00:05:18in the world to live, with mosquitoes,
00:05:20puddles, good and bad ski weather. I really
00:05:24liked this speech and I think we have been through this, I
00:05:28thank you, Madam President, and I
00:05:31thank the singers of the Estonian National Male Choir and their conductor
00:05:35Mikk
00:05:35Üleoja.
00:05:45With that, the solemn ceremony of the President of the Republic of Estonia
00:05:48taking office has ended. I will call a recess
00:05:52for 30 minutes.
00:05:54I wanted to say that we are at the birth of a new genre, because listening to her
00:05:58speech, it is clear that the name of this new genre is the Üllemadise-like
00:06:02speech. But the solemn Riigikogu session is over.
00:06:05Congratulations to the President of the Republic Ülle Madise, and thank
00:06:09you for your work, Alar Karis.
00:06:12The Speaker of the Riigikogu will now escort
00:06:15the presidents and their escorts out through the
00:06:18side door with the help
00:06:20of the Chancellor's Director, Ander Aabt. After that, they will go to the Speaker's
00:06:24chambers.
00:06:27And there will be another part of the ceremony,
00:06:30because a series of
00:06:34entries must be made. I can't even say how many
00:06:37books there are in total
00:06:40where the entry must be made. But it is clear that
00:06:44under the guidance of the Speaker of the Riigikogu, they will go to his office
00:06:47in the White Hall, where an entry will be made
00:06:50in the Riigikogu Guests' Book, and first
00:06:53President Karis and his wife
00:06:56will sign, and then the President of the Republic of Estonia
00:07:00Ülle Madise and her
00:07:03husband Lauri Madis. The Speaker of the Riigikogu
00:07:06Lauri Hussar
00:07:08will guide the entry. He wants to be the president of all Estonian people.
00:07:12president, and he believes that as president, his core nature will
00:07:16not change. Now, my good
00:07:19hea. Jaa, olen siin
00:07:22Riigikogu koridoris kinni püüdnud Reformierakonna
00:07:25peasekretäri Kristo N. Vaga. No Kristo, Ülle
00:07:29Madis rõhutas oma kõnes koostöövajalikkusest,
00:07:33usalduse ja sildadede ehitamisest. Kas te
00:07:36saite siit juba väikese vihje ka, millistest
00:07:39Eesti probleemidest ta tööd alustab? "ma arvan,
00:07:43selles Ülle madise kõnes oli väga palju sellist üldse
00:07:46inimlikkust ja seda, kus eestlased teevad
00:07:49väga mitmes erikohas, aga toredaid asju, noh sellest, et pannakse
00:07:53siis suve lõpus õunad kuhugi
00:07:56siis ee aia ette, et teised siis
00:08:00kaasmaalased saaksid neid võtta ja sellised väiksed asjad, et see teebki meist
00:08:03eestlased ja eks ta tahab seda, mul on tunne e väga tugevalt
00:08:07rõhutada, ütles välja, et võib-olla sellistes ametlikes
00:08:10kogunemistes on ee ta teeb..." seda võimalikult vähe ja pigem
00:08:14oleks nii noh mehikoormas, põltsamaal
00:08:17ettevõtete juures, rahvamajades, kõiges muus, ma arvan, et see
00:08:20on väga vajalik tänases ühiskonnas, kus selline
00:08:23teatav selline lõhestumine toimunud,
00:08:27tuntakse, et võib-olla keegi on ee, kõik ei ole nii-öelda
00:08:30ühtne meeskond, eestlased, ma arvan, et Ülle tahab
00:08:34presidendina seda siis ee kokku
00:08:37nii-öelda liimida, kokku trageldada, ma arvan, see on väga vajalik, no
00:08:40õmblusteta ühiskonnast rääkis juba... Kersti Kaljulaid omal ajal ja
00:08:44Ülle Madis on oma senistes kõnedes ka rõhutanud,
00:08:48et et väike riik ei ole tüüprojekt, vaid see on Rätsepa
00:08:52So, what kind of master tailor will we get?
00:08:55Can you predict what her style will be
00:08:58and will it be a president who looks more inward
00:09:02or outward? I think rather inward. I think this is also
00:09:05due to her previous job as Chancellor of Justice,
00:09:09that at the end of her speech, she also
00:09:12stressed that similarly, we shouldn't unnecessarily add
00:09:16too many commands and prohibitions, especially for entrepreneurs,
00:09:20that entrepreneurs should be set free, and I think that is actually very necessary,
00:09:23that the same was said by outgoing President Karis in his
00:09:27speech, that we still have to adapt to new
00:09:30technologies, and commands
00:09:33and regulations will not bring us any victory, and I think that
00:09:36actually the new President Ülle Madise confirmed this in her speech
00:09:40in the same way and... and I think we
00:09:43will get a president with a very strong domestic view, but fortunately, as a member
00:09:47of the National Defense Committee, I was very happy to see how
00:09:50all the important talking points, so to speak, in the direction of Ukraine, in terms of assisting Ukraine,
00:09:54the aggression, the aggressor, so to speak,
00:09:57then
00:09:59well yes, all of that, that we must hold Russia
00:10:03accountable, make them pay, and
00:10:06ensure peace for Ukraine. Well, the public got the impression that Alar Karis's
00:10:10second term was doomed because he picked a fight
00:10:13with the Reform Party. Will Ülle Madise be a more comfortable president
00:10:17for you? Absolutely not, we were not looking for a comfortable president. I think we got
00:10:21a very good president for Estonia, and a good president is not comfortable for any party.
00:10:25And I believe that in the next five years, it will be exactly so.
00:10:29Thank you.
00:10:32Ülle Madise, as president, wishes to be a creator of cooperation,
00:10:35not a destroyer, and according to her, impartiality
00:10:38is also important. She says that work must be done
00:10:42in the name of trust. But now let's all
00:10:45watch beautiful video footage of how Ülle
00:10:48Madise was elected
00:10:49president.
00:10:55At the time Ülle Madise entered Toompea Castle at midday on September 2nd,
00:10:58she had already come a long way to becoming head of state.
00:11:02coalition had officially
00:11:05discussed the presidential elections for the first time at the beginning of the year. Whether
00:11:08Ülle Madise was discussed then is not known, but soon
00:11:12Toompea politicians began talking about her in the corridors.
00:11:16True. In
00:11:18spring and early summer, the main question was whether Alar
00:11:21Karis wanted to continue or not. Happy Victory Day after Victory Day,
00:11:25things became clear, and the Social Democrats were the first to officially put forward
00:11:29Ülle Madise's name. At the time, it was perhaps even thought
00:11:32to be too early. However, the votes of the Reform Party,
00:11:35Eesti 200, and the Social Democrats were not enough
00:11:38to elect the president. It was thought in political circles that
00:11:41members of the Center Party faction who had previously wanted
00:11:44Alar Karis to continue might support
00:11:46Madise. It was thought that Isamaa would come out with its own candidate,
00:11:50as in previous times. Ülle Madise
00:11:53herself did not answer politicians. Neither yes nor no, and the waiting
00:11:57period began. On August 17,
00:12:00Ülle Madise announced that she was willing to run and began meeting with Riigikogu
00:12:03factions. A day later, Isamaa announced that it supported
00:12:07Ülle Madise's candidacy, and Urmas Reinsalu said that it
00:12:11was not a political game, but a substantive
00:12:13decision.
00:12:15On August 24, Ülle Madise was nominated
00:12:19as a presidential candidate with 75 signatures.
00:12:21However, 68 votes are needed to become president. And
00:12:2575 seemed to confirm Madise
00:12:27as president. Yet, on September 2,
00:12:31it was tense in Toompea. Two signatories could not come,
00:12:35and the vote was secret. Ülle
00:12:38Madise was elected president with 71 votes.
00:12:4171. What kind of president will she be? She
00:12:45answered that question herself after the election
00:12:47like this.
00:12:50And I try to meet those people who are more
00:12:52knowledgeable than me.
00:13:00And if you look at Ülle Madise's CV,
00:13:03it seems that by today she has practiced her entire
00:13:07previous life and probably all of that will be needed,
00:13:10because these five years will be quite long and at the same time
00:13:13short. And we have the opportunity
00:13:17to offer you more fresh interviews and emotions. Kristjan
00:13:21Pihl, please. Yes, here in the Riigikogu corridor
00:13:25beside me are Isamaa representative Priit Sibul and from the Center Party
00:13:28Lauri Laats. Well, Priit Sibul, starting today
00:13:31the era of Ülle Madise begins. What will change
00:13:35in Estonian state life today? I think what Ülle said, that she will start
00:13:38looking for and doing things to help people find
00:13:42common ground and positive nuances, and I think that is what is needed, because
00:13:46there is a lot of worry and trouble around. So now
00:13:49we need a person and, so to speak, a patron who
00:13:53would deal with finding these positive nuances, from the simplest
00:13:57person to, I don't know, an entrepreneur, politicians, just as
00:14:00it was described today, that this unity and positive emotions, that is what
00:14:04we need. Listen, today everyone is giving eulogies, but still,
00:14:08in the Isamaa party, there were doubts until the last minute. What did Ülle Madise
00:14:11say to convince you? Well, Ülle's personality,
00:14:15but I think there were disagreements until the very end, in that sense that we don't have angels,
00:14:18nor is President Ülle Madise. So I think
00:14:22let it be as it was, that
00:14:26today, today is, so to speak, the next day, and there's no point in looking for the reasons why
00:14:30someone supported someone else for what reasons. Lauri Laats,
00:14:33is Jule Madis also the president of the Center Party's voters?
00:14:37Well, if we talk about, so to speak, general surveys,
00:14:40then the Center Party voters definitely
00:14:42like her, and there are definitely voters who don't like her. What don't you
00:14:46like about her? No, I mean, it's not a question of
00:14:49whether we like her or not, the question was, if you ask why we
00:14:53didn't support it at first, it's because we wanted to have
00:14:57at least two candidates, or even more, so that a debate would emerge,
00:15:00a discussion. I think our democratic society would have benefited
00:15:03from that. It didn't happen, one
00:15:06candidate came, and one candidate also gained support in the Riigikogu,
00:15:10and as you can see, bridge-building has already
00:15:12begun.
00:15:16And now, everything is ready
00:15:19on the castle square for the next stage of the ceremony,
00:15:23which means that everything we saw before
00:15:26the beginning of the festive session will be repeated in reverse.
00:15:30Simply, at some point, when President Ülle Madise
00:15:34leaves the building as President of the Republic,
00:15:37she will then be doing what Alar Karis did upon entering
00:15:41the building. But the presidents are now going
00:15:44to the White Hall of the Riigikogu, where there will be a ceremony,
00:15:47and photos will be taken. And if there
00:15:51are a few moments left, then in the academic world, Ülle
00:15:55Madise has actually been a professor of public law at Tallinn University of Technology
00:15:58and also a professor of constitutional law at the University of Tartu,
00:16:01and she is considered one of Estonia's most recognized
00:16:04experts in constitutional law, and she has
00:16:08also been the editor-in-chief of the commented edition
00:16:11of the Constitution. But the Riigikogu elected Ülle
00:16:14Madise as Chancellor of Justice in 2021,
00:16:17and then she was elected to
00:16:21this position a second time. As Chancellor of Justice, she has
00:16:24stood for constitutional values, fundamental rights, and
00:16:28the principles of the rule of law, and today's
00:16:31inauguration marks the beginning of a new chapter in her
00:16:35long service to both the Estonian state and society. I cannot
00:16:39help but mention that every time I see the straight line and shining eyes
00:16:42of the Guard Battalion, my heart feels especially warm,
00:16:46because they are proud boys. But the president will
00:16:50hire several different people
00:16:53to work at the Office of the President of the Republic, who
00:16:57have also already been mentioned in public. For example,
00:17:00the former Secretary of State Taimar Peterkopp
00:17:03will start working as an advisor
00:17:07to the National Defense Council. And at least one innovation has
00:17:11been revealed, that Ülle Madise wants to start organizing
00:17:14meetings of the National Defense Council regularly. But things are about to get lively
00:17:18in this building, figuratively speaking, because there are Riigikogu elections in March, and this
00:17:21means that our domestic political temperature, which is already quite
00:17:25high, is likely to boil over in the coming months,
00:17:29as I would say. And the president actually has a very important role
00:17:32in this process, it's about maintaining
00:17:36a nice, calm tone. And treating all parties
00:17:40equally, because conflict is inherent. The opposition would
00:17:43always want the president to reject all coalition bills, but
00:17:47the president cannot and must not do that, because then she
00:17:50would not be a balanced president. Ülle Madise also said
00:17:54in her speech today, "Let us not let ourselves
00:17:57be turned against each other, we need to trust each other and
00:18:00build the future," and actually, even in
00:18:04Alar Karis's outgoing president's
00:18:07speeches, the issue of social temperature was very important
00:18:11today. Well, the president's,
00:18:15for me, one of the main ideas was that she warned
00:18:18against indifference, which is the great enemy of a free, democratic
00:18:21society. Similarly, there is also
00:18:25a danger of losing hope for the future and just noise, because in this
00:18:28social media era we live in,
00:18:32well, unfortunately, it tends to be the case that positive messages don't
00:18:36get amplified, and every slightly negative or critical
00:18:39note is picked up and blown out of proportion.
00:18:43And by the way, according to the constitution, the President
00:18:46of the Republic is the supreme commander of national defense, and the National Defense
00:18:49Council, which was also mentioned earlier, provides an opportunity to bring
00:18:53together the president, the Riigikogu, the government, and representatives
00:18:56of the defense forces to discuss national defense issues,
00:19:00and thus helps to form a comprehensive view
00:19:03of the state's security. And a significant common thread
00:19:07in both speeches today was the emphasis
00:19:11that there is too much war fear in society. Ülle
00:19:14Madison has also promised to reduce
00:19:17it and explain everything rationally. The idea
00:19:21was that you have to train so much that you never need it. But Kristjan
00:19:24Pihl, please, continue.
00:19:28Yes, in front of me in the Riigikogu corridor
00:19:31Peeter Tali from Eesti 200 and Raimond Kaljulaid from the Social Democratic Party.
00:19:34Well, it has been said quite a lot that there have been hints
00:19:38from Ülle Madise's team that the National Defense Council
00:19:42will probably meet more frequently. What is Ülle
00:19:46Madise's plan? Ülle Madise's plan is to get the National Defense Council
00:19:49to work properly, not
00:19:53exactly like in the Republic of Finland, but still to work
00:19:56properly, and she has also appointed a very
00:19:59experienced official,
00:20:02Taimar Peterkop, to organize the affairs
00:20:05of the National Defense Council. Up until now, national defense
00:20:09has been such, well, let's say, the National Defense Council has been
00:20:12a ceremonial courtly matter, as President Meri said,
00:20:15"I want to, I take advice; I don't want to, I don't." And now
00:20:19the aim is for this council to deal with, in a good
00:20:23sense, comprehensive
00:20:25national defense, so that it brings together in addition to
00:20:29the executive power or
00:20:32the legislative power and discusses important
00:20:35issues with the aim of
00:20:39developing broad-based, not just military, national defense
00:20:42and to see how and whether it is
00:20:46necessary to improve laws and, in a good
00:20:50sense, break down silos and build
00:20:52them into a proper fortress. Raimond Kaljulaid, is
00:20:56there no danger here that the president will take too
00:20:59much power into their own hands and start duplicating
00:21:02the government? No, there is no such danger, because actually the constitution does not give
00:21:06the president any such possibilities, but the president also hinted in her speech today that
00:21:10her assessment and vision of the security situation is somewhat
00:21:14more positive than what people might gather from headlines, and she also hinted that
00:21:18behind those headlines there can often be such a political desire, political
00:21:21gain, or also certain business interests,
00:21:25probably referring to the defense industry, to make the threat seem greater than
00:21:28it actually is. So, perhaps one idea is also to generate trust in state
00:21:32institutions through such a weighty advisory body operating
00:21:36under the president, which could actually also provide a more adequate or less emotional
00:21:40picture of the situation, meaning that the goal is not
00:21:43to somehow put more of these
00:21:47war topics, security topics, on the table, but rather to simply explain and
00:21:50give the public the signal that everything is, everything is in our hands,
00:21:54rather to bring together
00:21:58in addition to the legislative power, I correct myself,
00:22:01in addition to the executive power, because the government's
00:22:04security cabinet works very well, there is no need
00:22:08to duplicate it, but as the president also indeed emphasized
00:22:11in her speech today, to reduce war fear,
00:22:15to cooperate more, to be friendlier, and also to develop
00:22:18the defense industry, which is very important, that we
00:22:22put the money taken from taxpayers at a high
00:22:26political cost back into developing our
00:22:29economy. But Alar Karis has still highlighted
00:22:32that perhaps the boundaries of the president's
00:22:36office should be sharpened a little, and why shouldn't
00:22:39President Ülle Madise be the one who represents
00:22:43Estonia at NATO summits, and the Prime Minister's
00:22:46task would then be the Supreme Council. What do you think of this idea?
00:22:50"Personally, I have actually liked this idea,
00:22:53because if we look, the Estonian Prime Minister today has so many domestic
00:22:57, economic, all other issues concerning the internal life of the state, all
00:23:00European Union topics and all NATO topics, that it's simply too much for one person,
00:23:04one office holder, but
00:23:07perhaps the president's contribution
00:23:10can also be in that she can somehow
00:23:14bring together more people in Estonia who deal with security issues, that
00:23:18the fact that we have such confusion in this area is somehow probably
00:23:22also connected with the fact that everyone operates more in their own silo, whether it's
00:23:25on the executive branch side or here on the Riigikogu side, such a
00:23:29unifier or creating a common platform has been
00:23:33difficult, and of course, what I very much hope for is that
00:23:36the poor or non-existent cooperation
00:23:40between the previous president and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will also be improved.
00:23:43President Karis has also referred to this upon leaving office and
00:23:47given clear examples of how he was asked, for example, to convey
00:23:50deadlines for the Rail Baltic section to his interlocutors,
00:23:53presidents of other countries, which Karis directly called
00:23:57lying. So, surely a change would also be that the cooperation
00:24:00between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the president
00:24:04would function flawlessly in the future. Yes, well, the president's main weapon
00:24:07and means of influence is still the power of words. What is the
00:24:10vision in one sentence that Ülle Madise offered us
00:24:14today? Getting along well with each other,
00:24:17but I would still correct it, it's not the power of words. It's also about
00:24:21actually doing the work
00:24:23that may not be visible, and you bring different
00:24:26parties together and talk, that's what we
00:24:30politicians are good at, talking,
00:24:32and we need to talk more with each other
00:24:35to form and formulate
00:24:39everyday positions that allow Estonia to be forever free.
00:24:42to be. Well, if we sum it up, Ülle Madise's speech today was
00:24:46a bit like she had been elected president of Lotte Village, as if everyone were inventors. Grow up
00:24:50as enterprising, smart, and good
00:24:53people. But I think that this message is perhaps what Estonia needs right now,
00:24:56because another big problem we have is that we are somehow very
00:25:00stuck in criticism and problems constantly, and we look less at opportunities and more at
00:25:04what our strengths are. So I think that bringing such a positive
00:25:07attitude into Estonian political discourse, that this could
00:25:11actually be very positive. It seems to me that Ülle Madise started powerfully today
00:25:15and I am very happy that she has chosen such a path. Yes, thank you
00:25:19very much. "Well, our politicians are
00:25:22capable,
00:25:24but presidents are even more capable and presidents come
00:25:28to the white hall of the Riigikogu, the solemn
00:25:32ceremony begins, a picture
00:25:35is taken and also the book
00:25:39entry is made. By the way, the text
00:25:42is already written in the book, that today,
00:25:45on October 12, 2026,
00:25:49President Alar Karis handed over his office to the elected
00:25:52President Ülle Madise and then it's time for photos
00:25:56and afterwards they return briefly
00:26:00to the rooms of the Speaker of the Riigikogu, where. In the Chancellery
00:26:02her
00:26:06and she has promised to keep
00:26:10work and family life in reasonable balance and
00:26:13also engage in hobbies and sports. The new Chancellor
00:26:16Director Paavo Nõgene also expressed hope in an interview with Viker Raadio.
00:26:19lootust.
00:26:27And the new President's spouse, Lauri Madise, has promised
00:26:31to continue working in court,
00:26:34so
00:26:37such choices are possible in a modern state
00:26:41and society accepts them. But now another solemn
00:26:44moment,
00:26:47President Ülle Madise makes
00:26:49an entry.
00:26:57President Alar Karis makes
00:26:59an entry.
00:27:02that we talked about the roles of the president here, actually Sirje Karis also admitted
00:27:06that getting into this role will still be very difficult, that
00:27:10the amount of duties that fall upon you, no matter how far you are from
00:27:13the president himself, it is still very large. It is clear that the president
00:27:17is not the master of his calendar, the president
00:27:20depends in his office on many
00:27:23advisors and on what the
00:27:26agreed program is, but now Sirja
00:27:30Karis... signs
00:27:34the guest
00:27:34book,
00:27:42the namesake
00:27:43of the Speaker of the Riigikogu,
00:27:52and the spouses of the Presidents of the Republic of Estonia
00:27:54have filled it very differently,
00:27:58how they have managed their lives alongside
00:28:02the President and also filled Kirsti
00:28:06Kaljulaid's husband Georgi Renee
00:28:09Maksimowski continued his everyday life,
00:28:12while in the case of Siire Karis, relatively
00:28:15early on Siire Karis
00:28:18then ended her activities
00:28:22at the Tartu City Museum and the information says that a quick comment from the Prime Minister,
00:28:25please, yes, I'm coming there, yes,
00:28:29before me is the Prime Minister of the Republic of Estonia.
00:28:33Well, the President has been elected, what kind of emotions? Well, of course
00:28:36positive ones, the elections have been some time ago, yes
00:28:40some time ago, but certainly a very solemn moment, that we thanked
00:28:44Alar Karis and congratulated Ülle Madise,
00:28:47that it is still a big role that must now
00:28:50be fulfilled for years, to unite the people, not everyone
00:28:54will be happy with you anyway, but I hope most are. What kind of mark will Alar
00:28:57Karis leave behind? I think a positive one,
00:29:00because well, for all... decision-makers and actors,
00:29:04all sorts of things can be said, but he was still, I think, warm
00:29:07towards people and brought people together,
00:29:11that you cannot expect everything from one person and perhaps the expectations for
00:29:14presidents are always hugely great, greater than life, so
00:29:18I personally will have a warm memory and I think he did his best to
00:29:22unite people. In any case, the Prime Minister must
00:29:25get along well with the President to build and develop the Estonian state together.
00:29:29What is the main task that the new... President
00:29:33will face for the next five years, at least five years? Well,
00:29:35I think that in the case of Ülle Madise,
00:29:39it is definitely expected that she would be
00:29:41a fair arbiter
00:29:45and an evaluator of Estonian life, as she was as Chancellor of Justice,
00:29:48and this gained her the favor of the Estonian people, that
00:29:52as it is already said, she should remain herself, treat
00:29:55everyone equally and honestly, both coalition and opposition politicians,
00:29:58and if she sees that something is being done somewhere that actually has no basis
00:30:03or has no substantive meaning, then also say it honestly,
00:30:06certainly also draw attention to it, and probably in the modern
00:30:10world, well, Estonia has carried the image of a so-called pioneer
00:30:13in the digital field, so she will certainly have to
00:30:17take the lead with AI projects and artificial intelligence projects
00:30:20and in many other things, so there are huge expectations,
00:30:24but every president fulfills this role themselves. Well, the election
00:30:27of the president started relatively roughly, but in the end
00:30:31Ülle was still elected. Herself with 71 votes
00:30:34in the first round of the Riigikogu, does that mean that now
00:30:37the discussions about the presidential election process, even about
00:30:41direct elections, well, those are now off
00:30:43the table? Well, I don't know, it's just that from time to time
00:30:47politicians appear who think that the main question in presidential elections
00:30:50is the process, not the outcome, that as Prime Minister,
00:30:54I can say that I have also spoken with predecessors who have said that this is certainly a very
00:30:57rough road, but yet we reached historical...